October 2024 - Executive Director’s Report to MABA Members
There is an African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” And although its origins have been analyzed and studied, its meaning is clear, and it is at the heart of my message to the board and the members this month. I’ll share herein the wealth of activities and initiatives taking place in the MABA committees and leadership, and the great momentum they are building to push further into our collective biosolids future and path ahead.
The Communications Committee has led the way to organize a National Biosolids Communication Workgroup consisting of multiple regional biosolids organizations across the country to develop the National Communication Guidance: PFAS and Biosolids Management communication document to share with their respective members to assist with their communications about PFAS & Biosolids.
Additionally, the Communications committee has created a MABA Member Communications survey to get feedback from the members about the communication efforts and help develop their next steps for the year ahead. They are also working to create new and revised FAQ and fact sheet documents for the MABA members on the website, and have so far created “What are biosolids?” and “Information for farmers about PFAS in biosolids”. The Committee will also be introducing “MABA Merch” in the months ahead, for members to have a chance to purchase clothing and other products with the MABA and MABF logos.
The MABA Membership Committee has worked diligently to reach out to current public utility members to touch base, and learn more about their experiences with and services needed from MABA. They’ve also brought on board 4 new public utility members and 3 new sponsors. They have worked to offer reduced membership fees as an incentive to bring new members on board, and are requesting the members’ assistance in identifying additional potential members with the Public Utility Leads survey.
MABA’s Reg/Leg Committee has stayed abreast of many developments across the region, as well as nationally, to keep MABA’s leadership and members aware of the updates and information available from a regulatory and legislative perspective. Recently, information gathered has resulted in the creation of a letter in support of legislation in Pennsylvania to ban PFAS in some consumer products. Additionally, the committee has worked to remain updated on regulations and execution of new regulations in New York and recently in Maryland. Stay tuned for a full Reg/Leg email update in the weeks ahead.
The MABA Programming Committee hosted an incredibly successful 2024 Summer Symposium in Richmond, Virginia in July, resulting in additional net revenue for the organization while providing rich education and networking opportunities for the members in the region. They are charging ahead with the September 24 webinar, Biosolids End Use Success Stories, and the Communications Committee is working with them to further share these success stories through the October 23 webinar with the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Another webinar is planned for November, as well as the opening of the Call for Abstracts for the 2025 Summer Symposium, taking place in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in July.
And finally, I continue to deliver presentations to different groups to provide a comprehensive update on PFAS and Biosolids, from a regulatory, legislative and research perspective. Recently, I presented at the Society of Women Environmental Professional’s PFAS Seminar at Eurofins Laboratories in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and at Tri-Con, in Ocean City, Maryland, as well as the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association annual conference in September, in Hershey, Pennsylvania. And I will be presenting at the NJWEA Technology Transfer Seminar in October, in Eatontown, New Jersey. I provided the same session via webinar to the Environmental Finance Center Network (EFCN) on October 1, and will provide it again for the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association (PMAA) on November 6. These speaking opportunities have afforded me the opportunity to share critical information and updates to the biosolids community and the communities we serve, and spread the word about MABA and MABF.
In NPR’s analysis of the aforementioned African proverb, they spoke to Neal Lester, a humanities professor at Arizona State University who specializes in African-American literary studies. Lester stated, “The Africanist perspective is more about community, it's more about collaboration. It's less about what we can do individually." And this essence of the meaning of the proverb is in line with this message to the MABA board and members, the region’s biosolids community. There is an incredible amount of energy and work taking place in the MABA community and the biosolids community in our region right now, and I invite you to get on board and get involved to press forward, further, together.
If you are interested in learning more about MABA and MABF, or setting up some time to talk or get together, please reach out to me at [email protected] or 845-901-7905. |
|
|
Biosolids NewsClips - March 5, 2025
This NewsClips contains quite a number of updates from across the biosolids and wastewater industries. This month’s edition follows last month's big news, the EPA draft Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS. As expected it has quite a bit of PFAS articles but also positive news from ongoing research to updates on boisolds projects from not just the MABA region but nationally as well as around the world.
News of particular note include the biosolids moratorium in Albany County, NY, opinions on both the potential risks and advantages of biosolid land application, and disappointing national news with the withdrawal of EPA limits on PFAS effluent limits on industry. Additionally, there are many national articles about ongoing and potential new biosolids projects, PFAS concerns in various locations as well as a number relating to biosolids odors.
As always, MABA is committed to keeping members informed and engaged. If you have biosolids news to share or would like to join the Communications Committee, please contact Mary Baker at 845-901-7905 or [email protected].
Biosolids News
(as of March 3, 2025)
MABA Region
Albany County puts moratorium on farms' use of biosolids
Albany County, NY (30 Jan 2025) - Albany County has enacted a 90-day pause on the use of human biosolids in agriculture. Announcing the moratorium Monday, County Executive Dan McCoy says it’s meant to give local officials time to study potential health effects and prevent damaging the county’s farmland. “We're talking about human waste from bathrooms and kitchens that is later used as fertilizers on our farms. It's a nutrient-rich option. However, it poses the risk of severe health concerns due to contaminations inside them,” McCoy said.
County’s moratorium for sewer sludge on farms joins others questioning state’s recycling
New Scotland supervisor raises concerns over biosolid use, calls for stronger regulations
Bethlehem leaders worry about biosolids threat to reservoir
Guest Idea: Rethinking Wastewater as a Valuable Biosolids
Washington, DC (6 Feb 2025) - Declining farm yields, soils stripped of nutrients, rising energy and fertilizer costs, dwindling carbon stores in soils, increasing droughts. What if part of the solution to these problems were just a flush away? Biosolids are a nutrient-rich residual of wastewater treatment, a process designed to keep carbon and nutrients from upsetting the delicate balance in America’s waterways. However, carbon is energy and nutrients are fertilizer; recovery of these resources can reduce utilities’ environmental and economic costs. With sustainable solutions for waste management and agricultural productivity needed now more than ever, biosolids offer a myriad of environmental and economic benefits.
Plan to spread biosolids on Plainfield Township farm to go before state Environmental Hearing Board
Plainfield Township, PA (3 Feb 2025) - Almost four years ago, Millie Beahn was running around in the rain, going door-to-door to try to spread a warning about sludge. Over the past several years, there’s been a land battle in the township over how the former Hower Farm property, 6249 Hower Road, could be used. It pits Nazareth Borough Municipal Authority and the state Department of Environmental Protection against the township as well as environmental advocacy groups, like Save Plainfield Township, co-founded by Beahn, and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network.
EPA investigates Warren County PFAS hot spot
Washington Township, NJ (3 Feb 2025) - Dozens of households in Washington Township, Warren County, are now being supplied with bottled water and hundreds of others are being asked to have their wells tested for possible contamination, part of an emergency federal response to widespread pollution in private wells. Authorities are still trying to get a handle on the scope of the problem, acknowledging that the groundwater pollution may be spread beyond where they are currently looking. This pollution may be impacting the nearby Musconetcong River and may even have made its way into crops and livestock raised on the affected land.
Middletown's wastewater plant — the town’s most expensive project — nears completion
Middletown, VA (4 Feb 2025) - Middletown’s roughly $8 million wastewater treatment plant is nearing completion, with most major equipment already online and operational, town staff reported at Monday evening’s Town Council work session. LCW Construction of Winchester, the project’s contractor, is projected to be finished and off site by Feb. 28, according to Town Manager Les Morefield. He said he expects to receive a permit from the state that will allow the facility to be fully operational in early March. Once that happens, the town’s most expensive construction project to date — which began with a groundbreaking almost three years ago — will be finished.
Beware of Biosolids: Lack of Testing for Forever Chemicals Heightens Risk [Opinion]
Lancaster, PA (7 Feb 2025) - No one cares more about the soil than a farmer. Everything we apply to our fields is monitored, scrutinized and studied. We time our manure applications and rates to maximize the uptake of nutrients into the crops. Fertilizer blends and rates are customized to every field and based on soil tests.Lime, spray materials and anything else that is applied to fields is done so with every last detail in mind. Simply put, we want to know exactly what we’re putting on our fields and, ultimately, into our crops. But there is one troubling exception. Sewage sludge. Some call it biosolids because it sounds better, but it’s all the same. And it carries a big risk.
Should land-applied biosolids be more regulated?
Gianna Kolencik and John Stolz: ALCOSAN can make money on sewage and help the environment too
Pittsburgh, PA (11 Feb 2025) - ALCOSAN, the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, is spending over $2 billion for their Clean Water Plan to address the combined sewage and storm water overflow. This project is aimed to reduce wastewater overflows into the rivers by expanding treatment capacity, building a regional tunnel system and implementing green infrastructure. There is another, practical technology that could help reduce the costs. A biodigester facility could turn the large volume of sewage sludge ALCOSAN produces into renewable energy and nutrient rich fertilizer, both of which can be sold.
The Withdrawal of PFAS Effluent Limits: Implications for Federal Environmental Regulation and Biosolids Management
Washington, DC (12 Feb 2025) - The regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remains a critical issue in US environmental policy, with significant implications for water quality, biosolids management and state-level regulatory authority. On January 21, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) withdrew the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule on Clean Water Act Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) and Standards for PFAS manufacturers. This decision was part of a broader regulatory freeze mandated by an Executive Order from President Donald Trump. It is unclear at this time whether the withdrawal of the ELG rule represents a delay in implementation simply to provide the new administration time to review the proposed rule, or whether it represents the death knell for the rule, as the Trump administration seeks to deregulate.’
EPA Guidance on PFAS in Biosolids
Connellsville Municipal Authority to bid out sludge removal
Connellsville, PA (13 Feb 2025) - Connellsville Municipal Authority will be looking to bid out the sludge removal contract sometime soon. This week, the authority noticed in the budget that the line-item for sludge removal was over $12,000 in January alone. Last year’s total budget for sludge removal was $75,000 and that number was increased in this year’s budget to $100,000. Plant Superintendent Raleigh Gelosh said the cost is typically higher in the winter months, but added that after the upgrades at the plant, they are seeing an increase in sludge.
Right goal, wrong direction (Viewpoint)
Easton, MD (28 Feb 2025) - In the final days of the Biden administration, the Environmental Protection Agency released a draft report assessing the risk of biosolids – that’s the term for a fertilizer recycled from our wastewater — as it pertains to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), commonly known as “forever chemicals.” This group of 3,000-plus manmade chemicals permeate virtually every aspect of our lives: they are in cookware, food packaging, carpets, cleaning products, and cosmetics, to name a few. The authors used the extremely low-end numbers of 1 part per billion of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, to model the hypothetical risks of PFAS to a family using biosolids on their farm.
You could be spreading ‘forever chemicals’ on your garden. Here’s how to protect yourself.
Philadelphia, PA (2 Mar 2025) - Your plants might love fertilizers containing nutrient-rich sewage sludge, but treating your garden or lawn with these products could be exposing you to “forever chemicals.” Some commercially available products are made from biosolids, an industry term for sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants that are used as fertilizer. The Environmental Protection Agency recently warned that sludge could contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, posing health risks to farmers, livestock and the environment.
Nationally
Brunswick residents concerned about plan to expand sludge digester
Brunswick, ME (28 Jan 2025) - There’s a new environmentally charged uproar in Brunswick, and potentially toxic wastewater sludge is right at the center of it. It’s what led to a packed house at Monday night’s town council workshop. There’s a new proposal on the table to update and expand an existing sludge digester in town, and it has some people doing everything they can to spread the word.
Biosolids plant raises concerns in post-PFAS spill Brunswick
Advocates urge action as samples find PFAS contamination in Tennessee
Chattanooga, TN (29 Jan 2025) - PFAS can also enter the environment via "biosolids," a type of treated waste that is often placed on farm land or forests to fertilize crops and other plants. "Biosolids are essentially sewage sludge," Firth said. "The term biosolids is just a nice name that they came up with because sludge sounds bad." EPA is in the process of testing drinking water systems across the country, Firth said. Based on federal data, the Chattanooga area doesn't seem to have high enough levels of PFAS to require treatment, Firth said, although water systems closer to Cleveland, Tennessee, may exceed standards. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is also assessing source water, Firth said.
Critics raise stink over sewage-sludge fertilizer
St. Clair County, AL (31 Jan 2025) - The source of the stench is biosolids: organic, nutrient-rich fertilizer created from waste products like sewage sludge. In Alabama and elsewhere, the product is marketed and sold as a cheap and natural alternative to chemical fertilizers. It's largely unregulated, and a growing body of science suggests chemicals in biosolids may present hazards to human health. Biosolid fertilizer can contain forever chemicals, heavy metals and medicines, according to Derrick Heckman, a conservationist with a background in forestry who lives in the area.
King County refines wastewater into fertilizer for WA crops, forests
Renton, CA (2 Feb 2025) - You wouldn’t expect something that began in your toilet to sparkle. That’s the struvite, or phosphate minerals from the digestive tract of thousands of people across the Seattle metropolitan area, catching the light just so as an auger churns the mixture at King County’s wastewater treatment plant in Renton. “Like little diamonds,” said Erika Kinno, the county’s policy and research supervisor. Those little diamonds, alongside a slew of other nutrients, are precisely what make the human waste — processed at facilities like this — such a valuable commodity for forests and farms across the state, local officials say.
Kalamazoo city commission to vote on $12.4 million plan to get rid of bio-solid waste
Kalamazoo, MI (3 Feb 2025) - It’s a big, smelly, wet mess and the city of Kalamazoo is searching for a new, more affordable way to get rid of it. It’s the bio-solid waste that comes out of the city’s Regional Wastewater Treatment plant. Utilities director Jim Baker says the cost of trucking the sludge to landfills has nearly quadrupled in recent years. “In 2019 we were dealing with biosolid disposal costs of around $4 million per year, those costs are now up to around $15 million per year,” Baker says.
Kalamazoo approves $12.3M deal for sustainable biosolids management technology
West Tenn. officials decry ‘foul stench’ from wastewater ‘fertilizer,’ demand stricter regulation
Brownsville, TN (4 Feb 2025) - On stretches of rolling West Tennessee farmland, the stench is putrid and stifling. Residents of Haywood, Tipton and Lauderdale counties describe a rancid liquid that has muddied town roads, caused a restaurant to close after a spill, attracted hundreds of vultures, sent houseguests packing and led at least one family to consider leaving their home. “This is the foulest stench you could be around,” said Maurice Gaines, Jr , the mayor of Lauderdale County, located about 60 miles northwest of Memphis. “The only thing that may be just as bad is a dead horse. And if you’ve ever been around livestock, and you’ve had one that’s laid up for a few days, it’ll take your breath.”
Federal funding for North End Sewage Treatment Plant upgrade has zoning change strings attached
Winnipeg, CA (3 Feb 2025) - The federal government says the City of Winnipeg must complete a major zoning change in order to secure $150 million from Ottawa for upgrades to the North End Sewage Treatment Plant. The zoning change would allow four housing units to be built on a single residential lot “as-of-right.” The as-of-right entitlement allows a property owner to use or develop it without a public hearing or a vote of municipal council – both of which take time – as long as the zoning bylaws permit the proposed use. The city says the change will enable more homes to get built in Winnipeg.
City Council approves $35K change order for wastewater plant improvements
Casper, WY (4 Feb 2025) - On Tuesday, the Casper City Council unanimously approved a change order of roughly $35,000 for improvements at the Sam H. Hobbs Wastewater Treatment Plant. The ongoing project includes replacements in the primary sludge pump station building, headworks building, secondary treatment gallery, chlorine treatment building, boiler and electrical room and thickened sludge pump station. The project also entails several architectural and mechanical improvements.
Protecting Local Farmland: Wilson bill tackles "forever chemicals"
Lewis County, WA (4 Feb 2025) - In the past couple of years, Legislative Senator Jeff Wilson has been working hard on regulating PFAS. PFAS are Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalky Substance and have been in industrial and consumer products since the 1940s. They are a group of man-made chemicals that are resistant to heat, oil, and water. They have various uses and are considered forever chemicals as they never go away, many are spread in fields around us. Senator Wilson wants to make sure that PFAS are tested properly in every municipality and transported correctly. His bill will do just that.
Why has it been so smelly in Cutler Bay? Miami-Dade’s sewage problems, explained
Miami, FL (7 Feb 2025) - When the trucks don’t arrive in time at a sewage plant near Cutler Bay, the smell from 350 tons of tarry black muck leftover from the daily processing of human waste can spread. This is not news to Andrew Scruggs, a married father of four who lives nearby. “It’s really gotten to the point where I don’t want to walk outside with my kids,” said Scruggs, who is 35 and works in commercial real estate. “It smells like raw sewage.” Odors can’t be avoided at Miami-Dade’s sewage treatment plants, but county administrators say the last year brought some particularly rank stretches of time to the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant, which sits south of Cutler Bay.
Merced’s wastewater treatment plant plays a crucial role in protecting the environment
Merced, CA (6 Feb 2025) - Merced’s Wastewater Treatment Plant plays a vital role in protecting the environment as well as humans as treated water and biosolids eventually make their way back into the environment. Multiple steps are involved in treating the wastewater that enters the plant. Merced Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager Bill Osmer, said there are about five or six processes the water goes through after coming into the plant, before the treated product is eventually released back into the environment. These processes involve the removal of pollutants, solids, fats, greases, ammonia and bacteria.
From sludge to solutions: ASU students collaborate with city of Tempe on water treatment
Tempe, AZ (7 Feb 2025) - Over the years, Arizona State University’s Project Cities has provided local communities and municipalities with expertise on sustainable solutions for parks, design research, solid waste, general plans and more. This year, one of the student-led projects will venture into water treatment waste and diversion. Approximately 40 chemical engineering capstone students paid a visit to Tempe’s Water Utilities Division on Jan. 31 to explore ways to divert waste water solids, also known as sludge, from landfills.
Maine DEP: $50M sludge bond would preserve landfill space
Portland, ME (7 Feb 2025) - The state Department of Environmental Protection is proposing a $50 million bond to help wastewater treatment facilities buy the costly equipment needed to reduce the volume of sewage sludge headed to the state-owned landfill before it runs out of room by 2040. The bond would provide grant funding to as many as five municipal wastewater facilities to install digesters and dryers that would turn the wet slurry into an easier-to-haul solid that doesn’t require the addition of out-of-state bulky waste to be stable enough to be landfilled.
Jasper County residents deal with troubling and persistent smell
Jasper County, MO (7 Feb 2025) - Over the last few months, an area encompassing parts of Webb City, Carterville, and the Heritage Acres area has intermittently experienced a noxious and overpowering odor.
Some have compared it to sewage. Others have suggested it might be the product of animal litter or solid waste used to fertilize fields. Local officials say they’ve received scores of complaints, but on their own, they have not been able to bring the problem to any resolution.
DNR still working on ‘sludge’ permits
Enterprise to continue biosolids talk
Enterprise, OR (8 Feb 2025) - During the past week, the state Department of Environmental Quality has become involved in the biosolids issue and sent out a letter inviting public comment on the city’s proposal to pay a local farm to take the biosolids to be used for fertilizer. The DEQ requires the city to maintain a biosolids management plan as a condition of its water quality permit, the letter stated. The public comments, due by March 13, are required before the DEQ can approve the city’s plan for disposal of the biosolids.
How PFAS Ruined Some Small Texas Farms
Grandview, TX (10 Feb 2025) - The Johnson County, Texas, farmers, along with their county government, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and Potomac Riverkeeper Inc., have collectively sued EPA in federal court for failure to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in biosolids, also known as sewage sludge. PFAS make up a group of thousands of synthetic chemicals that are especially resistant to heat and water, leading them to be typically dubbed as "forever chemicals."
PFAS in fertilisers blamed for killing livestock in Texas and wreaking havoc
Gottfredson: Bill could bring relief to Texan farmers affected by toxic PFAS chemicals
Dangerous ‘forever chemicals' found in Johnson County soil and water, disaster declared
Commissioners await Abbott decision on PFAS emergency declaration request
Oregon bill would assess ‘forever chemicals’ in fields fertilized with sewage sludge
Salem, OR (10 Feb 2025) - For the third time, Oregon lawmakers are pushing a bill to study concentrations of the "forever chemical" PFAS in agricultural fields fertilized with sewage sludge. Public wastewater systems throughout the state, including those in Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Albany and Wilsonville, offer treated sludge leftover from sewage processing, known as biosolids, to farmers who don’t grow crops for human consumption. But there is increasing concern that the biosolids could be contaminated with PFAS, or per- and poly-fluorinated substances, a family of chemicals used since the 1940s for their heat-, moisture-, grease- and stain-resistance, as well as non-stick qualities.
Oregon legislators want to understand harms of ‘forever chemicals’ from treated sewage on farms
Gardner sludge landfill is nearly full: Why officials propose to expand over other options
Gardner, MA (12 Feb 2025) - Gardner officials have determined that expanding the city's sludge landfill is the most feasible option, as announced at a public meeting of the Sludge Landfill Expansion project Monday night.
Gardner has only a few years before the sludge landfill at 808 West St. reaches capacity, which is expected to happen between 2027 and 2030. Officials will submit a Draft Environmental Impact Report to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Feb. 28 and approval is needed to start construction.
EPA recognizes sewer plant team
Warwick, RI (12 Feb 2025) - Cranston’s Water Pollution Control Facility was recently cited for excellence by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The facility was honored with the EPA’s Regional Wastewater treatment Plant Operation and Maintenance Excellence Award which was presented to Plant Superintendent Earl Salisbury during ceremony held in Boston on January 30. According to the EPA, the award was “established to recognize and honor the employees of publicly owned wastewater treatment plants for their commitment to improving water quality with outstanding plant operations and maintenance.”
Farm fertilizer or toxic waste? The growing debate over biosolids
Raleigh, NC (14 Feb 2025) - Across North Carolina, treated sewage sludge—known as biosolids—is spread on farmland as fertilizer. But growing concerns over PFAS contamination have farmers, utilities, and regulators grappling with tough choices. For decades, wastewater treatment plants have processed human and industrial waste, creating biosolids that are then used to fertilize crops and improve soil health. Stuart Beam, a farmer in western North Carolina, has used biosolids on his farm since the 1980s. “From the public perspective, there's less cost versus other methods of disposing of it,” Beam said. “At the end of the day, that's what we're doing, because it has to go somewhere.”
Cobb Plans to Start Burning Sewage Sludge Again
Marietta, GA (18 Feb 2025) - On average, the Cobb County Water System processes 63 million gallons of wastewater daily. Water from showers, sinks and toilets across the county is filtered, treated and discharged back into bodies of water. But left behind is sewage sludge — a semi-solid byproduct that must be disposed of.
For nearly 25 years, Cobb burned sludge in two incinerators at the R.L. Sutton Water Reclamation Facility on Atlanta Road. A decade ago, the incinerators were decommissioned when the Environmental Protection Agency instituted stricter emissions standards for sludge incinerators.
EPA study questions safety of sewage sludge as fertilizer. Will it impact Charlotte Water?
Charlotte, NC (20 Feb 2025) - Charlotte Water “is closely monitoring” a new federal report on potential health risks of sewage sludge spread on farmland as fertilizer — a practice the utility has used for years. A new risk assessment released in January by the Environmental Protection Agency found the sludge —generated during the wastewater treatment process — can contain levels of certain synthetic chemicals dangerous to human health. The sludge is officially called biosolids.
Forever chemicals in biosolids may pose problems for municipalities, farmers
Lansing, MI (21 Feb 2025) - A common practice by farmers to fertilize their fields may be spreading forever chemicals into new areas and into the food supply. Biosolids are nutrient-rich organic materials derived from the treatment of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants that are applied as fertilizer. They can be a cost-effective way for local governments to dispose of sewage sludge and for farmers who pay little or nothing to use it as fertilizer. “Solids handling is a cost for municipalities,” said Christian Smith, the PFAS in Biosolids contact for the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, commonly referred to as EGLE. “Whether that’s through land application, landfill or incineration, those are all typically done at a cost to the treatment plant,” he said.
Biosolids use by Michigan farmers sparks PFAS fears
Op-Ed: Looking Forward Means Thinking Globally
Ames, IA (20 Feb 2025) - Modern agriculture is a global enterprise. American farmers feed the world. But today’s farmer is also mindful of the far-reaching impacts of producing such bounty. One major concern for savvy agriculturalists is how nitrogen fertilizer impacts the climate. Nitrogen is an essential crop nutrient and is primarily produced for fertilizers through the Haber-Bosch Process. This process fixes atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia through tremendous heat and pressure—conditions which generate equally tremendous climate-warming emissions. Phosphorus is another essential agricultural nutrient with similarly challenging global impacts. Phosphate extraction motivated the colonization and environmentally disastrous mining of islands across the world. The tiny nation of Nauru had 80% of its land rendered unusable by phosphate strip mining. And the poor Nauruans have nowhere to run: rising sea levels—in part due to nitrogen fertilizer production—have left them stranded.
Kalispell City Council to consider fast-tracking wastewater plant upgrades
Kalispell City, MT (24 Feb 2025) - Kalispell City Council will consider adopting a project plan that would hasten upgrades to the municipality’s wastewater treatment plant. The city sends about 70% of its biosolids to Glacier Gold Composting and the rest to the Flathead County Landfill. But Council is looking to move away from composting its biosolids, owing to public concerns surrounding forever chemicals, or PFAS, in the end product and the closure of Glacier Gold Composting’s Olney facility.
From waste to worth: Using septic sewage as fertilizer
Athen, OH (25 Feb 2025) - A group of researchers led by an Ohio University professor has found a potential way to reduce nutrient pollution in local waterways and homeowners’ cost of managing home septic sewage systems — while boosting the local economy. In a peer-reviewed study published in August 2024, Sarah Davis, professor of environmental studies in the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, suggested that Athens County could boost its economy by turning septic sewage waste into fertilizer. Her research shows septic waste is a viable source for nitrogen and phosphorus, two key nutrients in synthetic fertilizers.
USU Researchers Working to Reduce 'Forever Chemicals' in Wastewater Biosolids Used in Ag
Logan, UT (26 Feb 2025) - The Utah Water Research Laboratory is investigating PFAS occurrence in wastewater biosolids used in agriculture. Biosolids improve soil’s water-holding capacity and soil’s organic content, as well as providing a wide range of nutrients necessary for plant growth such as phosphorus and nitrogen. While biosolids can be a nuisance to landfills due to the quantities generated, they become a boon in the agricultural industry when turned into compost. Overall, the composting project is examining 32 mixes of compost, all with varying levels of one or both of the iron/zinc-based chemical compounds in an attempt to adsorb and sequester or degrade PFAS in the biosolids to reduce their uptake into crops grown on biosolids.
Internationally
Central Okanagan compost created with biosolids not commonly used for agriculture, says landfill manager
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada (31 Jan 2025) - Biosolids containing the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS are not directly applied to local farmland, though after being processed into a product called OgoGrow they can be, a landfill official said in the wake of a the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report on the effects of the products used in agriculture.In the Central Okanagan, OgoGrow is a popular and heavily marketed product made by combining biosolids and hog fuel, a byproduct of local lumber mills. It's promoted as a natural way to condition soil and give it an organic boost.
The innovative waste treatment helping make Sudanese refugees safer in Chad
Aboutengue camp, Chad (7 Feb 2025) - Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has constructed a fecal sludge treatment site in Aboutengue camp, eastern Chad, which hosts approximately 45,000 Sudanese refugees. The treatment site, locally referred to as the "poop factory,” processes waste from 932 latrines built by MSF to support improved sanitation. Charlotte Maupu, former MSF deputy water and sanitation coordinator in Aboutengue, explains how it works and how it’s impacting conditions in the camp.
Construction of Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant nearing completion near Cherthala
Cherthala, India (12 Feb 2025) - The construction of a Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) at Anatharaveli in Cherthala is nearing completion. The Cherthala municipality is the first civic body in Alappuzha district to construct an FSTP for the scientific processing of toilet waste. The project is being implemented at a cost of ₹7.33 crore under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative. Officials said 90% of the construction had been completed. “Currently, plumbing and electrical works are in progress. We are making arrangements to complete the final phase work and make the FSTP operational as soon as possible,” said an official.
Neighbour raises concerns about CRD biosolids being applied to land near Nanaimo
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (17 Feb 2025) - Some neighbours near Nanaimo are concerned about the biosolids being sent from the Capital Regional District (CRD) to a quarry near their homes. They say they’re worried about the nearby Nanaimo River and for wildlife that have access to the area. “My main concern would be the water leaching into the river,” said Jason, a neighbour who asked CHEK News not to publish his last name for fear of reprisals.
African mayors commit to provide better sanitation facilities
Kampala, Uganda (18 Feb 2025) - African city mayors, meeting under the auspices of the African Water and Sanitation Association (Afwasa), have committed to finding sustainable solutions to provide better sanitation services in the face of fast growing urban populations across the continent. More than 100 mayors attended the Mayors’ Forum on the sidelines of the ongoing 22nd Afwasa Congress and Exhibition at the Speke Munyonyo in Kampala. One of the pertinent issues discussed was the collection and treatment of faecal sludge in most of Africa cities where the majority of slum dwellers lack sanitation facilities.
Northern States Urged To Tap Faecal Sludge For Energy, Farming
Abuja, Nigeria (23 Feb 2025) - An environmentalist, Professor Isah Muhammad, has called on northern states to explore the untapped potential of faecal sludge for energy production and agricultural use. Speaking in an exclusive interview in Bauchi, Prof. Muhammad, a lecturer at the Department of Environmental Management Technology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), emphasised that improper disposal of faecal sludge was wasting valuable resources that could transform lives in the region. Prof. Muhammad, also a member of the Bauchi State Climate Resilient Faecal Sludge Management Strategy Technical Committee, noted the vast economic opportunities embedded in faecal sludge management. “Many households in the North see human waste as mere garbage, not realising its potential to produce alternative energy in the form of briquettes. This would reduce deforestation and help conserve the environment,” he said. |
|
